A place to explore questions about Torah, Jewish tradition and how we interact with the world meaningfully.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Learning from others

So a pastor/high school buddy of mine posted a blog entry to his Facebook (Thanks David!), which caused me to go looking around and find this entry. Yes, both are filled with the language of the Church and Christianity, but both share a lot of insight into the problems we have in Jewish congregational life today. The over-reliance on staff (who burn out in the process), the desire to grow the membership base without paying attention to what brought people to the congregation in the first place (especially the mission and vision of the congregation), the desire to be all things to all people and instead be burdened with false expectations from laity and staff alike.

So, let me ask this question: what makes a congregation (Jewish or Christian) 'good', from a staff and a volunteer perspective? What qualities are you looking for in a spiritual home? I'd love to hear from those of you who have volunteered and who work professionally in the congregational world...

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About Me

I'm blessed to serve as spiritual leader and teacher of an historic and dynamic Reform Jewish congregation, the only one in the state of Delaware. My hope is to make Torah study, worship and music and community accessible, meaningful and engaging. My family, especially my wife and toddler son, continuously bring me joy and inspiration.